I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

Do look for it! If you’re stitching the Jumble with a group or individually, or stitching your own version of the Jumble, you’ll find it mighty handy to have a printable layout with tips, close-ups, and explanations of stitches and combinations of stitches.

The pattern for the sampler was titled Jacobean Jumble, so I call it lots of things – Jumble, Lattice Jumble, Lattice Sampler, Jumble Sampler.

One thing I don’t call it is “Jacobean,” because, aside from a few elements twisted into the design, I’d be hard-pressed to make a case that the thing smacks of anything remotely Jacobean.

The last major part to finish on the sampler since the last time we visited it was this wide path running along the lower left side of the design.

The path breaks at this circle, and then continues up into the middle of the design.

The voided area in the middle of the circle above stands out in pretty high contrast on the sampler, because there aren’t many empty spots within the embroidered area.

This is another voided circle, and below it, just to the lower left (at about 7:00 o’clock, if you think of the circle as a clock face) was the other little bit that had to be finished. It’s an extension of the stem that passes up around the spiral on the top right side of the design.

I had a moment’s hesitation about these three elements. I almost took them out! But then I remembered that this was just a Stitch Fun Sampler – it was supposed to develop randomly. And these were part of its random development. So I left them, after all.

(15) Comments

It’s a lovely jumble. The detail pictures makes me think of a map of with roads, rivers and reservoirs and railways, with all the fields coloured with different patterns according to who owns them or the underlying geology or something.

I think you are right that it is not Jacobean. I say that because while Jacobean does have a certain type of look to it, it always represents something specific, a flower, deer, fruit, a person etc. Maybe that could be called a Picasso or Dali style, Jacobean-ish, cartoony flower, but that would be stretching it a smidge in my opinion. It looks like the foot of a waterfall maybe? When I was growing up Rainbow Bright (remember her?) was popular, she annoyed the beejeezus out of me, but still, all that color. A jumble of lovely stitches though no matter what it is or isn’t. Just my thoughts. 🙂

Thanks for the Lattice stitch fun samplar I think Lattice stitch is lovely and through this samplar you have shown us so many different Lattice stitch techniques, I can’t wait to try them. Next time I use Lattice stitch I will certainly refer to the samplar for ideas, thanks for all your efforts in producing such a lovely fun design.

This looks like a marvelous project! Since it IS a sampler, and samplers are traditionaly signed and dated, and often times have a saying or dedication, you could use the currently unstitched areas for that.

Mary,
Thanks so much for sharing this. I’m so excited to be able to learn all these new techniques. I’m amazed how some relatively simple stitches can produce complicated effects. You are such a great teacher!

Somewhere in the first third of this Stitch Fun series, I decide I’d like to work through it as a sort of teaching project for myself..to learn the stitches and work through the whole thing, just as you did, Mary. Having a guide is really going to be helpful. Thank you!

Hello, Lilian – the Guide is a PDF that has the whole layout of the sampler, step by step, with an indication of what stitches are where, stitch instructions, and close-ups on each section so you can work the sampler as shown on the website. It hasn’t changed at all since I first published it – it’s the same version. -MC